Substituting Unsalted Butter For Salted: How To Swap Them In Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Substituting Unsalted Butter For Salted: How To Swap Them In Recipes? ›

However, sometimes a recipe calls for salted butter, but all you have is unsalted butter. So here's a simple rule of thumb to use so you can make the recipe with unsalted butter. Just remember, for every half cup (1 stick or ¼ lb) of salted butter required, you can add ¼ teaspoon of salt to Challenge Unsalted Butter

Adjust Salt

Next, if you're swapping unsalted for salted butter, reduce the amount of salt listed in the recipe to adjust for the salt in the butter. Take ¼ teaspoon of salt away for every stick of butter used*. Do the opposite if you're swapping salted for unsalted butter.

If you're baking with salted butter, and the recipe calls for unsalted, some cooks recommend halving the amount of salt in the recipe.

But here's a general rule: reduce or add 1/4 teaspoon of salt per 1/2 cup (1/4 lb; 115g; 1 stick) of butter. Explained: If you come across a recipe that calls for salted butter and all you have is unsalted butter, use unsalted butter and increase the salt in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon for every 1/2 cup of butter.

When using salted butter in baking, it's important to keep in mind that it may impact the final taste of the product as it contains added salt. It's recommended to either reduce the amount of salt in the recipe by a 1/4 teaspoon or omit it completely. The amount of butter used in the recipe should not be changed.

If you use salted butter in place of unsalted butter, you will notice that your baked goods or foods taste saltier. They may be overly salty, depending on the brand of butter you use.

If you are using salted butter in a brownie mix, the brownies will probably taste a little too salty, because salt has already been added to the dry mix.

When you make your own butter, you can add just the amount of salt you prefer. (To replicate the salt level of store-bought butter, use a scant 1/4 teaspoon table salt per 4 ounces (113g) of homemade butter.)

Both types of butter start off as cream, but salted butter has salt added to enhance the flavor. The presence of the salt gives the butter 10 to 18% more water content, and it extends the life of butter, allowing it to last for about 5 months versus the usual 3-month shelf life of unsalted butter.

How to remove salt from salted butter? ›

One stick of butter is 1/2 (half) cup. Two sticks of butter is 1 cup.

Use salted butter when composing sauces, sauteeing veggies, topping your morning toast or even making the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. The touch of salt in the butter will really help accentuate all of these flavors. Unsalted butter would provide the fat you'd need in these cases but not that extra flavor.

European-style butter

European butters have a higher butterfat percentage than American butters, and have become the butters of choice for many chefs, bakers, and passionate home cooks.

And they always use unsalted butter, a practice adhered to so strictly that it's rare to find a recipe that calls for the salted variety. Whenever a unicorn salted butter recipe does emerge—usually some kind of cookie, and often chocolate chip—it causes some combination of shock, outrage, and annoyance.

However, sometimes a recipe calls for salted butter, but all you have is unsalted butter. So here's a simple rule of thumb to use so you can make the recipe with unsalted butter. Just remember, for every half cup (1 stick or ¼ lb) of salted butter required, you can add ¼ teaspoon of salt to Challenge Unsalted Butter.

Salted butter typically contains about ¼ teaspoon of salt or about 575 to 600 milligrams of sodium per half-cup stick. That's about 75 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon. However, it's important to note that the amount of salt can vary among different butter brands.

Butter. It goes with out saying that butter is the key ingredient to this frosting. You can use salted or unsalted butter and opinions are divided on which is best.